The invention relates in general to remotely-operated weapons and in particular to charging mechanisms for remotely-operated guns.
Remotely-operated weapons may include a turret mounted on a vehicle, or on a fixed or mobile carriage. The turret may include a frame for supporting a firearm. The firearm used in a remotely-operated weapon may be a conventional, human-operated firearm. The firearm may be designed to be cycled manually or automatically, for example, by propellant gas or by gun recoil. The frame on which the weapon is mounted may accept multiple, different weapon configurations. An example of a remotely-operated weapon system is the U.S. military's Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS).
For a remotely-operated gun, a linear actuator may provide the input for the charging handle to move the weapon's bolt to the rear, to enable feeding ammunition. After locking the bolt rearward, the charging handle must then be returned forward to prevent weapon damage. The M240 Machine Gun, Mark 48 (Mk 48) Machine gun, and M249 Machine Gun are gas-operated automatic weapons which require charging (moving the charging handle rearward and then forward) to load and clear the weapon. When used on remote weapon stations, the linear actuator typically provides the external input required to actuate these weapons. The linear actuator moves the weapon's bolt assembly to the rear position to cycle and feed the next round on the belt. On the linear actuator return stroke, the charging handle is moved forward to the forward detent position.
While different remotely-operated weapons may use the same mounting cradle (for example, the CROWS Multi Adapter Small Caliber (MASC) cradle), these weapons often require different charging handle adapters because of different charging handle sizes and positions on the different weapons. The various adaptors are easily lost and do not allow for reliable return of the charging handle to the forward position.
A need exists for a simple apparatus and method for interfacing with different weapon charging handle configurations on a single gun cradle.